The airport is located 14 km south west of the capital city of Rhodes, near the village of Maritsa, and 3 km south of the newer Rhodes International Airport.

In September 1942 it was a target, along with the Italian airfield at Kalathos, of Operation Anglo.

This was a combined British and Greek Commando operation which successfully destroyed at least 20 Italian aircraft at Maritsa.

More recently two Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters have been based at the airfield, reflecting tensions arising from the long running Aegean dispute with Turkey over the status of the Dodecanese islands.

[2] The airport runway has also been used by local clubs for car and motorbike races, mostly off season.